1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a product storing method that stores products (end products or intermediate products) in sorted groups in a storage yard, and a storage system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A product storing method sorts received products into groups at the entrance of a storage yard where a plurality of storage conveyors, i.e., storage devices, assigned to the groups of the products are installed in a parallel arrangement, and stores the sorted products on the storage conveyors assigned to the groups of the products, respectively. Upon the coincidence of the number of the products stored on the storage conveyor with a predetermined number, the products are stacked on a pallet and the pallet loaded with the products is carried out of the storage yard.
Suppose that the products are tires. The tires manufactured by a tire manufacturing process are subjected to uniformity inspection on a uniformity inspecting machine. The uniformity inspecting machine uses a rim of a type specially for inspecting tires of a specified type to be inspected. Therefore, the rim must be changed when inspecting tires a different type. In a conventional uniformity inspecting process, an operator removes tires other than those of a specified type corresponding to the rim set on the uniformity inspecting machine from a tire conveyor conveying tires of various types to supply only the tires of the specified type to the uniformity inspecting machine, and stacks up the tires removed from the tire conveyor for temporary storage. Another tire inspecting method sorts tires by type, distributes the sorted tires to sorting conveyors, and stacks the tires of the same type for storage by stacking machines combined respectively with the sorting conveyors.
The product storing method that sorts products at the entrance of the storage yard where the storage conveyors are installed needs many storage conveyors when storing products of many sorts. Therefore, a considerably large space is necessary for installing the storage conveyors and hence equipment cost increases.
If all sorts of products are produced evenly, all the storage conveyors will be substantially evenly used and there will be no idle storage conveyors. However, if the products of different sorts are manufactured unevenly, some of the storage conveyors are rarely used and occupy a large space uselessly. When products of other type are to be stored, an additional storage conveyor must be installed requiring additional space for installation and additional equipment cost.
The work of the operator for selecting the tires of a specified type to be supplied to the uniformity inspecting machine requires heavy labor. Work for returning the stacked tires to the tire conveyor after the rim has been changed for a different rim for holding the tires of other type for inspection also requires heavy labor and cannot be efficiently achieved.
The method that distributes the tires of different types to the corresponding sorting conveyors needs sorting conveyors and stacking machines respectively for the tires of the different types. Therefore, an additional sorting conveyor and an additional stacking machine must be installed when tires of other type are add ed to the tires to be inspected. Thus this method i s unable to cope readily with increase in the types of tires to be inspected.
The present invention has been made in view of those problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of storing product s capable of storing products in sorted groups in a space of the smallest necessary size by effectively using the space and of efficiently supplying the products to the next process without requiring manual labor.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive storage system for carrying out the method of storing products.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a product storing method that sorts products by sort into groups of sorts and stores the products in groups of sorts in a storage yard comprises the steps of: holding the products delivered to the storage yard one at a time by a holding means included in a storage system and capable of vertically, laterally and longitudinally moving in the storage yard; vertically moving the holding means holding the product; and carrying the product to any storage place chosen for a group including the products by horizontally moving the holding means; and placing the products at the chosen storage place for storage.
Since the storage place Is not predetermined and any vacant place can be used as the storage p lace regardless of the type of the product, space can be efficiently used for storing the products sorted in groups by sort in the storage yard of the smallest necessary area. Even if additional products of other type need to be stored in the storage yard, the storage system is able to sort and store the additional products without requiring any modification.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a product storing method that sorts annular products by sort into groups of sorts and stores the products in groups of sorts in a storage yard comprises the steps of: holding annular products delivered to the storage yard one at a time in a horizontal position by a holding means included in a storage system and capable of vertically, laterally and longitudinally moving in the storage yard; vertically moving the holding means holding the annular product in a horizontal position; carrying the annular product to any storage place chosen for a group including the annular products by horizontally moving the holding means; and stacking the annular products at the chosen storage place for storage.
Since the annular products of different types are sorted in groups by type and the products of the same type are stacked up at any chosen storage place, space can be further efficiently used and the annular products can be sorted and stored in the storage yard of the lest necessary area. Even if additional annular products of other type need to be stored in the storage yard, the storage system installed in the storage yard is able to sort and store the additional products without requiring any modification.
In the product storing method, it is preferable that the holding means comprises at least two holding arms capable of being moved radially outward and inward, and the holding arms are inserted from above in a central hole of the annular product placed in a horizontal position and are moved radially outward to hold the annular product.
Since the holding arms are pressed against the inner circumference of the annular product, the holding means can be formed in small, lightweight construction and is able to operate to handle the annular product in a minimum space necessary for placing the annular product.
In the product storing method, it is preferable that any one of vacant places in the storage yard is chosen to store products of a specific sort.
Since any one of vacant places in the storage yard can be used for storing products of a specific sort, the storage space can be efficiently used and hence products can be sorted and stored in the smallest necessary space.
In the product storing method, it is preferable that the storage yard is an intermediate storage yard for temporarily storing the products before the products are transferred to an end storage yard.
The storage yard of the smallest necessary area can be used as the intermediate storage yard to use space efficiently to achieve work efficiently.
In the product storing method, it is preferable that the products stored in the intermediate storage yard are carried to a delivering position by the holding means, and a plurality of products are carried collectively by a carrying means to the end storage yard.
Since the products are carried to the delivering position by the holding means and without using any other special carrying means, equipment cost can be reduced and the products can be efficiently carried to the end storage yard.
In the product storage method, the products are tires of different types, the types of the tires are identified to discriminate the tires of the type that can be inspected by a tire inspecting machine from those of other types when supplying the tires to the tire inspecting machine, the tires of the type that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are supplied to the tire inspecting machine, and the tires of other types that cannot be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are selected by using the holding means at a position on the receiving side of the tire inspecting machine and are stored in groups of types at any places in the intermediate storage yard.
Since the tires of the type that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are supplied to the tire inspecting machine and the rest of the tires are carried to and stored in groups of types at any places in the intermediate storage yard, the tires can be efficiently supplied to the tire inspecting machine without using any manual labor.
Since the tires other than those that are to be supplied to the tire inspecting machine can be stored in groups of types in any vacant places which are not assigned specially to any special groups, space can be efficiently used and the tires can be stored in groups of types in the storage yard of the smallest necessary area. Even if additional tires of other type need to be stored in the storage yard, the storage system installed in the storage yard is able to sort and store the additional tires without requiring any modification.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a product storage system comprises: a storage yard for storing products therein; a holding means capable of moving vertically, laterally and longitudinally in the storage yard; a first conveying means for conveying products into the storage yard; and a second conveying means for conveying products out of the storage yard.
Products conveyed into the storage yard by the first conveying means are held and carried to any storage place by the holding means and are stored at the storage place, and the products stored at the storage place are transferred to the second conveying means, and the products are conveyed out of the storage yard by the second conveying means.
In the product storage system, it is preferable that the storage yard is an intermediate storage yard for temporarily storing the products before the products are transferred to an end storage yard, and the second conveying means conveys the products from the intermediate storage yard to the end storage yard.
The products temporarily stored in the intermediate storage yard are carried by the holding means and the second conveying means to the end storage yard and are stored in the end storage yard.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a product storage system comprises: an intermediate storage yard lying on the inlet side of a tire inspecting machine for inspecting tires of a specified type; a tire moving means capable of holding a tire, of moving vertically, laterally and longitudinally and of placing the tire at any place in the intermediate storage yard; a first conveying means for conveying tires to the intermediate storage yard; a second conveying means for conveying the tires out of the intermediate storage yard; and a control means for controlling the tire moving means, the first conveying means and the second conveying means; wherein the control means identifies the type of a tire carried into the intermediate storage yard by the first conveying means and decides whether or not the tire can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine, the tire moving means transfers the tire that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to the second conveying means, the second conveying means carries the same tire that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to the tire inspecting machine, and the tire moving means carries tires other than those that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to any places in the intermediate storage yard to store the tires in groups of types at the places.
When a tire that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine is conveyed to the intermediate storage yard by the first conveying means, the tire moving means transfers the tire from the first conveying means to the second conveying means. When a tire that cannot be inspected by the tire inspecting machine is conveyed to the intermediate storage yard by the first conveying means, the tire moving means carries the tire to any place in the intermediate storage yard to store tires in groups of types. Thus the tires can be efficiently supplied to the tire inspecting machine without using any manual labor.
Since the places at which the tires that cannot be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are stored are not determined beforehand and the tire moving means carries the tires to any vacant places, vacant places in the intermediate storage yard can be efficiently used for storing tires in groups of types and the tires can be sorted and stored in the storage yard of the smallest necessary area. Even if additional tires of other type need to be stored in the intermediate storage yard, the storage system is able to sort and store the additional tires without requiring any modification.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a product storage system comprises: a tire conveying means for conveying tires to a tire inspecting machine for inspecting tires of a specified type; an intermediate storage yard extending along the tire conveying means; a tire moving means capable of holding a tire, of moving vertically, laterally and longitudinally and of placing the tire at any place in the intermediate storage yard; and a control means for controlling the tire conveying means and the tire moving means; wherein the control means identifies the type of a tire carried by the tire conveying means and decides whether or not the tire can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine, the tire conveying means conveys the tire that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to the tire inspecting machine, and the tire moving means carries tires other than those that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to any places in the intermediate storage yard to store the tires in groups of types at the places.
The tire that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine is conveyed to the tire inspecting machine and the tires other than those that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are held and carried by the tire moving means to any places in the intermediate storage yard and are stored in groups of types. Thus, the tires can be efficiently supplied to the tire inspecting machine without using any manual work, space can be efficiently used and the tires can be sorted and stored in the intermediate storage yard of the smallest necessary area. Even if additional tires of other type need to be stored in the storage yard, the storage system is able to sort and store the additional products without requiring any modification. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a product storage system comprises: a tire conveying means having a conveying path for conveying tires to a tire inspecting machine for inspecting tires of a specified type; a roundabout conveying means forming a roundabout path branching from the conveying path of the tire conveying means and returning to the conveying path of the tire conveying means; an intermediate storage yard formed in the roundabout path of the roundabout conveying means; a tire moving means capable of holding a tire and of moving vertically, laterally and longitudinally to place tires at any places in the intermediate storage yard; and control means for controlling the conveying means, the roundabout conveying means and the tire moving means; wherein the control means identifies the type of a tire conveyed by the conveying means, decides whether or not the tire can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine, makes the conveying means convey the tire to the tire inspecting means when the tire is of a type that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine, and makes the roundabout conveying means convey tires of types other than those that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine to any places in the intermediate storage yard to store the tires in groups of types at the places.
Thus, tires that can be inspected by the tire inspecting machine are conveyed by the conveying means to the tire inspecting machine, while tires other than those that can be inspected by the tie inspecting machine are conveyed by the roundabout conveying means to the intermediate storage yard and are carried by the tire moving means to any places in the intermediate storage yard to store the tires in groups of types in the intermediate storage yard. Even if additional tires of other type need to be stored in the storage yard, the storage system is able to sort and store the additional products without requiring any modification.